Illuminated advertising device



Feb. 11, 1941. M. JACOBY ILLUMINATED ADVERTISING DEVICE Filed April 22, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb; 11, 1941. M JACOBY 2,231,580

ILLUMINATED ADVERTISING DEVICE Filed April 22, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 11, 1941 UH s'r FFICE Application April 22, 1938, Serial No. 203,689 In Germany April 24, 1937 16 Claims.

My invention relates to illuminated advertising devices and it is an object of my invention to provide an improved device of the kind referred to.

To this end, while in the known devices the contour of the device is defined by the signs at the front of the device, that is, the advertising pictures and/or writings, and the frame of the signs, I arrange an illuminated background for defining the contour of the device. This background, or reflector, is arranged in spaced relation at the rear of the free standing, that is to say, base supported only and at least partly translucent or transparent sign and projects beyond one side, or both sides, or beyond the top or the bottom of the sign. Between the sign and the reflector I arrange a source of light which may be an incandescent 11am and may be rotary if desired, and at the front of the device I provide means such as a strip of sheet metal, for concealing the source of light and preventing dazzling of the spectators.

The effect obtained by the milder reflected light behind the sign is superior to that of direct illumination.

In the accompanying drawings, various embodiments of my invention are illustrated by way of example.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of one form of the invention,

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a plan view, showing a device with a pyramidal reflector resembling the letter 'U in horizontal section, and forwardly inclined at the top.

Fig. 4 is an elevation of still another form of the invention.

Fig.5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. Land Fig. 6 is a plan view, showing a device with an arched reflector.

Fig. 7 shows the reflector of the device illustrated in Figs 4 to '6, flattened out.

Fig. 7a is a section on the line lala of Fig. '7.

Fig. 8 is an elevation, and

Fig. 9 is a plan view of a fan-shaped reflector,

Fig. 10 is an elevation, and

Fig. 11 is a section on the line I ll I of Fig. 10, showing a device in which signs are supported by a screen of translucent fabric.

It is understood that the expression translucent as employed in the following specification and the claims, includes transparent bodies.

Referring now to the drawings, and first to Figs. 1 to 3, the frame of this device has a verticalfront plate I. Punchedin'this'front plate arerthe words of the desired advertising matter, and colored translucent material is pasted to the rear face of the plate behind the inscription. Letters 2 are arranged on the front plate I and, in the example illustrated, form the Word A'IA, this being representative of a matter which is to be advertised. 5

The letters are free standing, that is to say, they are supported solely at the bottom on the front plate I and are translucent, and preferably the letters themselves are more diaphanous than the shaded areas by which they are partly surrounded. 10 Arranged behind, and spaced from, the letters 2 is a background 3 which in this example is a flat vertical plate. An incandescent lamp 4 is placed between the back-ground or reflector 3 and the front plate I, the front plate being made so high 15 that the lamp-4 is concealed and the'spectators eyes are not dazzled.

The reflector is pyramidal, being equipped with a pair of lateral walls 3' which together with the upwardly inclined back of the reflector, make up a pyramidal memberwhose cross-section resembles the letter U. A pair of horizontal tongues I I project from the rear face of the front plate I and the lateral walls 3' are slotted at I0 for the reception of the tongues. By these means, the 2'5 pyramidal reflector 3, 3' is secured to the front plate I.

Such a pyramidal reflector which is open at the front, and whose back is inclined in forward and upward direction, is highly efficient and produces a good illuminating effect.

Referring now to Figs. 7 and m an arched reflector 5 for the devices illustrated in Figs. 4 to 6 is made'of a flate piece of elastic material which is partly circular and partly rectangular and whose rectangular or base portion has a triangular slot 6. By pulling together the sides of the slot until they abut, and securing them in this position by threading a strip I of sheet metal which is riveted to the piece 5 at one side of the 40 slot, through holes 8 at the other side, the upper circular portion of the reflector is arched, as shown in Fig, 5, and the arched portion is substantially shaped like a hollow cone. To facilitate the arching of the piece 5 into a reflector, and its flattening out when not in use, a croze or depressed groove M is impressed inthe piece 5 from the front side of the'piece, as best seen in Fig. 7a. The borders of the croze ab ut when the piece 5 is arched, and the croze acts like a hinge when the reflector is flattenedout by bending it to the rear.

The reflector, after having been arched by causing the edges of its slot 6 to abut, as described, and securing them by the stripl, is attached to the rear. face of the solid lower portion OflthG front plate by inserting a tongue [2 on the reflector in a pocket I3 on the lower portion.

The letters 2 here form the word ICMI, which is representative of some other matter to be advertised, and the lower portion of the front plate bears the translucent inscription Cleans everything! By arching the reflector, as described, a particularly good effect is produced. The rim of the arched reflector projects forward at the sides and at the top above the letters 2 and thus defines the contour of the device, as described, or of any other shape.

Notwithstanding its arched form, the reflector is easily folded flat. Obviously, the configuration of the slot 6 depends on the shape of the reflector when arched, the edges bordering the slot being generatrix lines of the shape the reflector is arched into, for instance, straight lines in the case of a cone.

In my novel device, the configuration of the outline of the reflector is no longer limited by consideration of the invariable rectangular shape of the known advertizing devices. Thus the outline of the arched reflector may be a circle, or other regular curve, or a polygon, or it may be a jagged or Wavy line, or the like.

By way of example, Fig. 4 shows a reflector 5 which at the right is defined by a regular curve, for instance, a circle, while at the left it is shaped like a star. It might be corrugated instead, or jagged to any other shape.

The stereoscopic of the display is enhanced by printing or, preferably, impressing in, the reflector 5 straight or curved lines. To a passing spectator, the lines on the reflector accentuate the apparent displacement of the foreground with respect to the background.

Radial lines 9 are printed on, or impressed in, the reflector 5 illustrated in Figs. 4 to 7a, on the circular portion of the plate. Instead of being radial, the imprinted or impressed lines might also be substantially vertical, or they might be curved.

If desired, representations of any desired kind may be placed on the reflector 3 or 5 in the usual manner, or punched from it entirely or partly to obtain particular effects.

By making the reflector like a fan, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, a good effect is produced and the reflector can be folded and occupies a minimum space when shipped.

For producing the impression that the signs are freely suspended in space, it is desirable that they should be without the bracing flanges illustrated for the letters 2 in Figs. 1 and 4. Such signs, which may be letters and/or pictures, are made of thin paper to make them translucent and this involves the difficulty that on the one hand they require a support and that, on the other hand, flanges are not desirable. This difficulty is overcome by pasting such signs to a screen of translucent fabric, such as chiffon. Glass panes have already been used for this purpose but a fabric is preferable as there is no interference by reflected light.

An example is illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11. A frame i5 is arranged in front of a reflector 5 and a screen it, of chiffon or other translucent fabric, is insertedin the frame. Pasted to the front side of this fabric l6, and only connected to the frame l5 at its feet, is a female figure I! drawn on translucent material, and above the figure is arranged the inscription Puder printed on similar material and also pasted to the screen l6. It is obvious that the figure ll would be practically unsupported without the fabric to which it is pasted.

In order to obtain better adhesion of the fi ure I! to the screen, its mirror counterpart i8 is made of thin and translucent material, and pasted to the back of the fabric [6 in registering relation to the figure I! at the front. The paste from the back of the figure l1 oozes through the meshes of the fabric and connects the two figures which are thus securely anchored to each other, and to the fabric. Besides, the color effect is enhanced, in case of translucent arrangement, by the mirror counter-part l8 at the back.

Obviously, the same method may be applied to letters, numerals, etc.

While I have herein shown and described certain preferred embodiments of my invention, I

wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to all the precise details herein set forth by way of illustration, as modification and variation may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an illuminated advertising device, a free standing at least partly translucent sign, a free standing reflector in the form of a hollow body arranged in spaced relation at the rear of the sign and projecting beyond at least one side of the sign, said reflector being adapted to be folded flat, a source of light arranged between the sign and the reflector, and means at the front of the device for concealing the source of light.

2. In an illuminated advertising device, a free standing, at least partly translucent sign, a free standing concave reflector in the form of a hollow body arranged in spaced relation at the rear of the sign and projecting beyond at least one side of the sign, said reflector being adapted to be folded fiat, a source of light arranged between the sign and the reflector, and means at the front of the device for concealing the source of light.

3. In an illuminated advertising device a free standing at least partly translucent sign, a free standing arched reflector in the form of a-hollow body arranged in spaced relation at the rear of the sign and projecting beyond at least one side of the sign, said reflector being adapted to be folded flat, a source of light arranged between the sign and the reflector, and means at the front of the device for concealing the source'of light. v

4. In an illuminated advertising device, a free standing, at least partly translucent signpafree standing arched reflector in the form of-a hollow body arranged to project beyond the top and the sides of the sign, and in spaced relation at the rear of the sign, said reflector being adapted to be folded flat, a source of light arranged between the sign and the reflector, and means at the .front of the device for concealing the source of light.

5. In an illuminated advertising device a' free standing, at least partly translucent sign, an arched reflector in the shape of a flat piece of elastic material defining a" slot bordered by two generatrix lines of the arched configuration of the reflector, the reflector being arranged in spaced relation at the rear of the sign and projecting beyond at least one side of the sign, a source of light arranged between the sign and the reflector, and means at the front of the device for concealing. the source of light."

6. In an illuminated advertising device, a free standing, at least partly, translucent sign, an arched reflector in the shape of a flat piece of elastic material defining a slot bordered by two generatrix lines of the arched configuration of the reflector, means for holding the sides of the slot abutted against each other, the reflector being arranged in spaced relation at the rear of the sign and projecting beyond at least one side of the sign, a source of light arranged between the sign and the reflector, and means at the front of the device for concealing the source of light.

7. In an illuminated advertising device, a free standing, at least partly translucent sign, an arched reflector in the shape of a flat piece of elastic material defining a slot bordered by two generatrix lines of the arched configuration of the reflector and a croze open at the front side of the reflector, the reflector being arranged in spaced relation at the rear of the sign and projecting beyond at least one side of the sign, a source of light arranged between the sign and the reflector, and means at the front of the device for concealing the source of light.

8. In an illuminated advertising device, a free standing, at least partly translucent sign, a reflector bordered by a jagged line and arranged in spaced relation at the rear of the sign and projecting beyond at least one side of the sign, a source of light arranged between the sign and the reflector, and means at the front of the device for concealing the source of light.

9. In an illuminated advertising device, a free standing, at least partly translucent sign, a reflector bordered by an undulated line and arranged in spaced relation at the rear of the sign and projecting beyond at least one side of the sign, a source of light arranged between the sign and the reflector, and means at the front of the device for concealing the source of light.

10. In an illuminated advertising device, a free standing, at least partly translucent sign, a reflector bordered by a curved line and arranged in spaced relation at the rear of the sign and projecting beyond at least one side of the sign, a source of light arranged between the sign and the reflector, and means at the front of the device for concealing the source of light.

11. In an illuminated advertising device, a free standing, at least partly translucent sign, a fanshaped reflector arranged in spaced relation at the rear of the sign and projecting beyond at least one side of the sign, a source of light arranged between the sign and the reflector, and means at the front of the device for concealing the source of light.

12. In an illuminated advertising device, a free standing, at least partly translucent sign, a fanshaped folding reflector arranged in spaced relation at the rear of the sign and projecting beyond at least one side of the sign, a source of light arranged between the sign and the reflector, and means at the front of the device for concealing the source of light.

13. In an illuminated advertising device, a free standing, at least partly translucent sign, a reflector having opaque strips and arranged in spaced relation at the rear of the sign and projecting beyond at least one side of the sign, a source of light arranged between the sign and the reflector, and means at the front of the device for concealing the source of light.

14. In an illuminated advertising device, a free standing, at least partly translucent sign, a reflector having strip-shaped impressions and arranged in spaced relation at the rear of the sign and projecting beyond at least one side of the sign, a source of light arranged between the sign and the reflector, and means at the front of the device for concealing the source of light.

15. In an illuminated advertising device, a 30 screen of translucent fabric, a translucent sign secured to the screen, a reflector arranged in spaced relation at the rear of the screen and projecting beyond at least one side of the sign, a source of light arranged between the screen and the reflector, and means [at the front of the device for concealing the source of light.

16. In an illuminated advertising device, a screen of translucent material, a translucent sign, pasted to one side of the fabric forming the screen, a mirror image of the sign, also made of translucent material, pasted to the other side of the fabric and registering with the first-mentioned sign, a reflector arranged in spaced relation at the rear of the screen and projecting beyond at least one side of the sign, a source of light arranged between the screen and the reflector, and means at the front of the device for concealing the source of light.

MAX JACOBY. 

